timhortons: http://www.ledevoir.com/2009/09/04/...
Frédérique Doyon
Edition Friday 04 septembre 2009
Keywords: International Chess Tournament in Montreal, Montreal, Quebec (Province)
The 10th International Chess Tournament in Montreal meet the elite international players
Opponents have thought out their strategies, the battle looks hot, even if all the fighting going on ... silently between the two ears of the participants. Welcome to the 10th International Chess Tournament in Montreal.
f he is silent, the TIM (for respondent) to excite the fans. Since at least 2006, it ranks among the largest in the world and ousted all American tournaments. This year, 12 masters from Canada, the United States, France, Russia, Germany, Argentina and Ukraine face them in rotation since August 21 last, and this until Monday. The young champion of Quebec 17 years, Anton Kouvalyov (yes, yes, the same surname as the hockey Kovalev!), A Belarusian high in Argentina and to Quebec for two years, participates in the adventure.
Yesterday evening, the French Etienne Bacrot, leader of the tournament, won with black in an hour, against the Ukrainian Alexander Moiseenko who was white.
"As I had the black [which disadvantage just the player, since the white part of the launch, Ed] I played a bit risky, not very correct, and I hope he does not read my line "Le Devoir explains the youngest winner in the mid-twenties, joined after his game. "I prepared myself for two hours to work openings, to study the style of my opponent, what he likes early." The tactic was right Moiseenko, who had also confided in a whisper be "not very confident "before the game.
Etienne Bacrot, 15th best player in the world, already grandmaster at 13 years - a record! - Thus still leading the tournament at the time of writing, although the seventh round was not completed. The parties, which last an average of four hours, can sometimes stretch over seven hours ...
The French n'exulte too, knowing closely followed by Alexander Onischuk and Arkady Naiditsch. "I can do to catch up," said philosopher, who began playing at age four years, initiated by an uncle.
"First among equals" is often said in the middle. "No one is clearly dominant," said Andre Langlois, organizer of the tournament since its inception. With elite players, there is little room for error, and multiply the ties. Forget the "checkmate" the mythical sentence is never imposed. In adults, recognizing his defeat is the most common way to end a game. This does not prevent the thirty dailies TIM spectators to attend the epic battles, like that of a few days ago between Tiviakov and Bhat, who will anthology, according to an analyst.
In tournament rotation, such as Montreal, "everybody plays against everybody," said Robert Berube, director general of the Quebec Chess Federation (FQE). "[Yesterday was] the seventh part of 11. There are 12 participants, that means 11 rounds, as they all play against each other at least once. "You follow? Chess is very mathematical and strategic ...
"It takes a strong capacity for abstraction, a powerful memory, concentration, and a great ability to abstract calculation," recalls André Langlois.
In building Empresa (305, rue Notre-Dame Ouest), the games take place on two planes. Duels in real time engaged in silence. But equipped with chessboards censors can reproduce simultaneously on the big screen - and on the Internet - up shots. In another room, the French Igor Nataf, another great master, and can comment on the parties to the benefit of spectators fans.
The Montreal event, little publicized (failures do not suffer the same popularity here in Europe) so managed to reach tens of thousands of internet chess fans around the world.
The stakes tournament in Montreal? A few thousand dollars in scholarships, and especially valuable ranking points to climb to the top of the world. Who has not heard of the titanic struggle between Kasparov and the computer Deep Blue? Kasparov has since retired. They are now Anand, Topalov and Kramnik who exchanged the title of world champion.
"But now we can not say that the best player is a human," notes Mr. Berube. Kasparov and Karamnik have delivered that draws cons computers ...
Still, "it's very expensive to have these players then it is hoped one day to find sponsors for the invite," says Mr. Langlois.
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(-1.53): 43...Kd6 44.Rb1
(-0.26): 43...Ne6 44.Kg4 Nc7 45.Re2 Na6 46.f4 e4 47.Nc6 Kxc6 48.Rxd4 Rb3 49.Rdxe4 Nxb4 50.Re8 Nd5 51.R8e6+ Kc5 52.f5
(0.88): 54.e4 Rc6 55.Bb8 Rc3+ 56.Kg4 Rc4 57.Kf4 Bc3 58.Rd7 Rd4 59.Bd6 Rd1 60.e5 Re1
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